this is all self indulgent, i'm not the most skilled writer, i just write to get all the ideas out of my head. i have fun doing it, so that's why i haven't stopped!
i'm always open to taking request, i'll do my best to satisfy your writing needs!
whether you like, reblog, comment, or lurk, thank you for taking the time to read my work :)
synposis: the boys meet their manager thomas' new assistant
pairing: valko x nonmc (oc) & rafayel x nonmc (oc) [if you squint]
content: idol au!, valko & rafayel have an established relationship with jewel (oc), valko is still a lycaon, lowkey rushed, no beta read; if it's bad it's bad
wc: 2.1k
The men of "DeepS/PACE", the hottest idol group in Linkon, were currently in their video set room, resting on the couches. Caleb was tasked by Thomas to assemble the boys for an impromptu meeting. So Caleb, via their groupchat, did so.
The idols were occupied with their own devices as they waited, some patiently and others, not.
"I can't believe we have to meet a newcomer on our day off." Rafayel whined, slouching on the couch, his head resting on Sylus.
Sylus, unmoving, was on his phone texting, "A last minute meeting, I don't appreciate when my schedule is disturbed." He glared at Caleb.
"I know this messes up our personal plans a little bit but Thomas said it was really important for us to meet his new assistant manager." Caleb explained, keeping a lighthearted attitude.
Xavier looked up from his phone game, "So important that it couldn't be an email." His voice flat.
"Well if they're working with us, it's important that we know who it is, and how they're like. We don't want a repeat of the last assistant manager." Zayne interjected. Caleb quickly thanking him for agreeing.
When thinking about the old assistant, they all collectively shivered.
"Don't remind me. She still haunts our comments." Valko whimpered, "Can't believe Thomas didn't do a background check on her."
The sound of the door opening brought their chatter to a halt. Thomas, tired as always, peeked his head through the opening.
"Great you're all here." He fully opened the door, as he walked through the boys noticed a tan skinned black woman with very long dark brown hair. As Thomas positioned himself in the center of all three couches, she stood beside him.
"Alright, I wanted to meet you today so I can introduce you to my new assistant. This is Jewel Petros, and she'll be managing some of your smaller projects such as social media, personal appearances, and whatever I task her to do." He placed a hand on her shoulder, making Jewel give a small smile in acknowledgment.
"I met Jewel through a different agency, so she's knowledgeable and trustworthy." Thomas added. "Jewel these are—"
"Caleb Xia, Rafayel Qi, Xavier Shen, Sylus Qin, Zayne Li, Valko Ao." She gracefully listed all of their names, followed by giving a slight bow. "I'm happy to be working with you all." Jewel said, looking over to the boys who seemed to be silent.
Valko and Rafayel seemed to be looking at her the hardest. Valko's face slightly shifting as if he was trying to figure out who she was. Rafayel kept his head tilted, trying to analyze her face.
"Pleasure to meet you." Caleb chimed in, skillfully breaking the silence in the room. Cueing them to greet her, the only voice that didn't join was Sylus. He kept his mouth shut as he seemed to size her up.
"You'll get to know Jewel as she works with us but in the meantime, do you have any questions for Jewel?" Thomas prompted, leading Jewel to take step towards the group.
"What was the last group you worked with?" Zayne was the first to ask.
"HotNHoney, they're not as popular as you, but they had a very strong fanbase. I joined them on their last year of their contract." She answered, Zayne hummed, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
"Are you fans of us?" Sylus was next to ask a question, gaining a harsh glance from Caleb.
"Naturally. I've been a fan since Zayne, Rafayel and Xavier's debut." The three mentioned ears perked up.
"The whole world is talking about this group so it's hard to avoid the hype." She shrugged.
"Let's hope you're not another rabid fan trying to do whatever they can to get close to us." Sylus said, bitterly.
Jewel could feel tension brewing, "I can assure you there won't be a repeat of the incident that happened last year. I am a fan but I know how to separate that from work." Her voice remained professional, refusing to succumb to his tactic to intimidate her.
Sylus huffed a laugh in response, as it was Jewel's turn to be silent.
Mentally, Jewel was telling herself to not talk back, knowing this is what he wanted. A back and forth, so she’d have to step outside herself.
With her knowledge of Thomas' run down of the group and her own observation of their personalities from a fan perspective, she already had a gist of how they would interact with her.
Obviously things can change, however right now, she took a mental note that gaining Sylus' might be her biggest hurdle.
As the two were having a stare down, Rafayel was still pondering, not even aware of the drama stirring up. He gently tapping his forehead, as he was still trying to place why Jewel looked familiar to him. Once he realized he snapped his fingers, "CaptureTheTides!" He said out loud.
Everyone but Jewel looked at him in confusion. Fortunately, his burst brought Jewel back to her senses.
"You used to run my social media account when I was a solo act. That’s how I know you."
"Small world." Zayne said.
That seemed to raise another red flag for Sylus.
Jewel fought the urge to pick her fingers. A wave of embarrassment crashed over her as she thought about her early career life. "I was. I'm surprised you remembered me."
"How could I forget? You played a large part in me being popular today." He winked. Jewel could feel her face heat up, a new soft shade of pink joined the freckles on her cheeks, luckily for her skin complexion, the blush wasn't that noticeable.
"Did you have a question, or did you just want to flex how you already knew her?" Valko rolled his eyes.
"No, I have a question," Rafayel raised his hand, "Who’s your bias?" He smirked.
There was a mix reaction of laughs and groans.
"You don't have to answer that." Thomas stated, giving Rafayel a look. Making him put his hand down.
Xavier raised his hand, mimicking Rafayel, "Should we call you Jewel or Ms. Petros?"
Jewel tapped her chin,"Jewel is fine, it's whatever you feel comfortable with."
"That seems like the perfect question to end on. I have to prep for her exciting first week." Thomas clasped his hands together. "Which means you're dismissed.“
Caleb was the first to rise from his seat, "Line up fellas! It’s time to give Jewel a positive send off." He ushered them to line up, each one standing behind the other.
"This isn't a meet and greet Caleb…" Xavier muttered, as he was the first in line.
"It'll still create a positive work atmosphere so we have a good day tomorrow." Caleb patted Xavier's back before going into the line.
Xavier stepped up first.
"It was nice to meet you. Here's a charm for good luck." Xavier held out a small alien charm, Jewel held out her hand to receive the trinket, he placed it in her hand and walked out the line.
"Thank you." Jewel held the charm, placing it in her pocket.
Rafayel was next, taking her hands in his, he began to gently shake it, "It's nice to work together again. I can't wait to see how you've grown in your career." He moved himself from the line.
"You're gonna be just fine Jewel, and if you ever need help or advice, I'm more than happy to help. Welcome to the team." Caleb patted her shoulder before moving out the line.
As Valko stepped up, he was able to get a good whiff of Jewel's scent. Pushing past her perfume, he was able to smell her natural scent.
'Her scent… I know her.' He thought to himself, trying to not show his realization on his face.
"We put our careers in your hands, I trust you won't let us down." Valko said, rather quickly. He left the line but seemed to linger in the back, taking a seat back on the couch.
"I'm eager to see how you'll assist us as a group and individually." Zayne politely bowed, his gaze lingering on her for a while before removing himself from the line.
Last in line was Sylus, his arms still crossed and his face was unamused, "I hope you can keep up, Miss Manager." Was all he said before leaving, completely missing Jewel's condescending smile.
"He's tough with everyone new." Thomas laughed.
"You got that right." Jewel mumbled under her breath.
The group eventually trickled out of the room, Valko was the sole member that remained. Thomas noticing, looked over to see Valko. "You okay Valko?" He asked.
Valko scratched the back of his neck, "Mhm, I just had a personal question for Jewel."
"Okay. Jewel meet me at the front when you finish." Thomas instructed before exiting the room.
Leaving Valko and Jewel alone. A lull between them as she waited for his question.
"Did you grow up in a town called Farnfoss? I don't think it exists anymore." He asked.
Jewel's eyes widened a bit, "I did. How do you know about Farnfoss?"
"I know public knowledge said I grew up in Linkon, but it was actually Farnfoss."
"No way, I've never met anyone else that grew up there." Her shocked morphed into joy, "I moved when I was ten, so my memories are a little hazy." She explained.
A lightbulb went off in Valko's head, and with his sudden idea came his ears and his tail. It startled Jewel at first.
"Do you remember playing with a little wolf boy?" Valko asked, pointing to himself. His tail begging to sway gently.
Jewel took a step back to get a real good look at Valko, squinting her eyes as she tilted her head side to side. Her brain twinged as a flash of memories replayed. She could see herself and little wolf boy running around the town playing games. Night and day, they would be at eachothers side, going on countless of ventures. Her only friend in the town.
Tears began to sting Jewel's eyes, "Oh my god." She took a few steps forward toward Valko before throwing herself into his arms, giving him a hug. Valko reciprocated her hug, squeezing her tightly in the embrace. He took this as an opportunity to rub his face on her head, scenting her.
The hug lasted for a while, almost like it was a hug Jewel needed for a long time. She needed someone familiar, someone who held a special place in her heart for years.
Pulling away, Jewel's tears were streaming down her face, "I only remembered you as Wolfie, I couldn't remember your real name. And now you're this big celebrity and I didn't realize it." She wiped her cheeks.
Valko stood with a large smile on his face, his tail wagging excitedly, basking in the compliments he was receiving.
"You remembered me, after all these years." She said in disbelief.
"Course I did, I never forget a scent, and I especially wouldn't forget yours."
Valko could feel the once professional exterior melt between them, as Jewel seemed to act more playful. She pretended to hit his arm, Valko pretended to be wounded. Laughter filled the room, the fuzzy feeling of reunion overwhelming their hearts.
Subconsciously, Jewel reached her hand out to pet his head, pausing once she realized what she was doing. Valko chuckled and brought his head to her hand, Jewel ruffled his hair for what seemed like only a few seconds.
"Valko we definitely need to catch up," she retracted her hand.
"On my next day off, let's get lunch. My treat." Valko suggested.
"Great!" Jewel's phone began to vibrate, pulling her phone from her pocket, she sees its Thomas.
"I have to go, enjoy your break, I'll see you tomorrow." She said quickly, as she rushed to the door. Placing her hand on the knob, she looked over her shoulder, "Also don't think I'll show you any favoritism because we're friends." She stuck her tongue out before leaving Valko alone in the room.
Valko could feel his heart flutter, his emotions that were dormant as a child clawing its way to the surface as he reunited with Jewel again. Unfortunately he'd have to face the harsh reality of holding onto his feelings a bit longer since they're not working together.
He'll figure something out.
As Jewel navigated the building, trying to find the building, her mind becomes occupied with the excitement and fears that lie with her new job. Determined to advance her favorite groups careers, her own career and prove to everyone who doubted her that she can be successful.
For once, she'll feel like the main character in her own story.
a/n: corny ass ending. anywhooo, i found motivation for writing through another au, as i struggle with project gem. chap 6 is in the works tho! i miss lads, and i want valko :(
whether you like, reblog, comment, or lurk, thank you for taking the time to read my work :)
[ looking through old photobooth photos cause i haven’t touched glint in a while (still sad about valko) but i found these photos and decided to edit them ]
[ I’ve always admired this person’s art style especially how well they replicated the TDI artstyle. So happy I got to commission them! Jewel and Rafayel wouldn’t make it to the final two, but they definitely would be an audience favorite ]
imagine you watch "love island usa s8" with the LIs
pairing: reader x LIs
content: love island usa, my opinions projected onto the LADS boys, ooc(?)
a/n: THIS IS VERY SILLY and inspired by me and my bf watching love island usa s8. don't jump me !
xavier
he's a quiet watcher, but anytime the guys do something problematic you hear a low disapproving "mmm" coming from him. he'll criticize how no one understands how to "properly court a lady."
he would doze off here and there, if he's in deep sleep, he pops right up when he starts hearing people shout from the tv. he must see the drama unfold.
zayne
honestly, you didn't think zayne liked watching it with you. he was always quiet when you guys watch, anytime you made a comment he would either hum or nod his head in agreement. so one day you watched the next episode without him.
"you watched it?" he genuinely sounded sad. you apologize profusely and explain how you assumed he was bored with the show.
"i want to see if aniya and carl's relationship progresses." it was so simple, so innocent. you are just so happy that he was invested in the show.
rafayel
"if you wanted drama, we could just go see a play or visit the opera, it's more classy than this." rafayel would say, but he is absolutely GLUED to this show. you and him are consistently pausing the show to have a full discussion on the player's actions. talking like you owned a whole "love island usa podcast."
another thing you guys point out are the outfits, rafayel thinks a lot of the men's outfits are lackluster, and he's a man that knows how to dress nice.
some things you agreed with, and some you didn't. but you did agree that trinity and bryce are the cutest thing in the villa.
sylus
real talk, sylus is not watching love island with you, BUT luke and kieran certainly are. sylus is back there listening to your conversation and occasionally peeking in to whatever was going on in the show.
"i would hope melanie chooses to leave sincere. he's had too many chances." he would chime in, making you, a thousand times louder than you guys already are.
now while you watch episode you ask sylus what his opinions are, since you know he's listening in on the episodes.
caleb
he's always down to watching a show with you, any excuse to spend more time together. he thinks the show is crazy, especially the concept of it all. that doesn't mean he stops watching it with you.
"kc calling aniya a grandma was terrible." he sounds like a disappointed dad whenever he talks about the guys. it makes you laugh.
caleb and you send each other memes and think pieces so you can talk about it when you both get home.
valko
"i think if we went on the show, we'd win."
"valko. no."
valko does not take this seriously at all, constantly asking you if any of this is scripted, in which you say, it's not. even though he makes several comments, he's still gonna watch it with you, he has to see how this ends.
he also doesn't understand the concept of dating shows. if money is involved are they really here for love? or to just get the money. regardless, he understands how this is pure entertainment.
a/n: i needed to write something haha silly for my brain. i think if there was a dating show in this game it would be called "love in deepspace" if you have any headcanons about this scenario, lmk! or if you have opinions on love island s8, also lmk!
whether you like, comment, reblog, or lurk. thank you for taking the time to read my work :)
content: fighting, beasts, mc is named emi, non mc but written with my oc in mind, lowercase is on purpose, aged down luke and kieran, no beta read; if it's bad it's bad
word count: 2.1k
a/n: this is a continuation of "a pirates life for me" so there's more context there. anw i chugged an energy drink before writing this.
a year has passed since you've first joined the crew. experiencing countless adventures, traveling the seven seas, and strengthening the bond with the crew.
it was currently nighttime.
sylus and crew found themselves docking at an island to avoid a terrible storm that they would encounter on their current path, the storm had a high chance of recking the ship.
sylus instructed everyone tasks to help prepare for their departure in the morning, having nothing for you since you've done your job in warning him about the storm.
with nothing to do, you decided to explore. there was a forest on the island, so you entered it. you didn't have a goal or anything specific you wanted to look for, you were simply roaming. in hindsight, a terrible thing to do alone at night. regardless, you knew how to handle yourself if trouble came along.
speaking of trouble, as you walked through the forest you all of a sudden, you felt another presence. scanning the area, you try to spot another silhouette of a person, but no one was revealed. you continue to traverse the area, trying your best to ignore the feeling of a pair of eyes on you.
foolishly you tripped, not seeing a long piece of wood on your path. your body crashes into the floor, you feel a mixture of dirt and solid objects on your back.
wincing in pain, you turned you body to the slide, using your hand to grab the object that injured your back. feeling the smooth
it was a bone.
fully sitting up, you see that you are surrounded by bones.
as on cue, you could hear a faint howl in the distance. hearing the howl made your face turn pale as you realize that you alone in the forest with a beast.
scrambling to your feet, you ran. retracing your steps so you could get out of the forest. you could hear extra footsteps rapidly following.
looking to the side, in between all the trees you ran past, you could see a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness. the sight made you run even faster, your breath becoming stagnant as you felt your heart begin to leap out your chest.
it seemed like you've been running forever, but your legs led you to the exit! you could see the moonlight peeking out from the entrance. as your hand was about to touch the rays of the moonlight, a large hand grabbed you by your ankle. pulling you down to the floor.
your body harshly hitting the floor once again, stunning you.
"out of all the prey i've come across, you definitely ran the fastest." you faintly heard a ragged voice as you felt yourself be dragged across the dirt floor. you weakly kicked you leg, trying to get out of his grasp, it was useless.
he let out a low growl, annoyed with you fighting back. he flipped your body around, letting go of your leg in the process.
in front of you was an auburn haired man with wolf ears and a tail to match. his built was massive, as his chest and arms looked like they were bigger than your head. his amber eyes glowed as his grin grew wider. this was your beast that's been watching you.
"you have a lot of fight in you. let's see how long you keep fighting until you get eaten." he says, threatningly.
you take this as an opportunity to get up and attacking him at his torso, landing a punch. his knees bended slightly, as he reached out to grab your shoulders. evading his grab, you used your foot to swiftly kick the back of his knee so he could fall to the floor.
before he could move from the floor, you pinned the lower half of his body by straddling him. using your elbow to pin his upper half down, trying your best to strangle him, so he could pass out.
the beast let out a laugh, "whoever taught you to fight was a great teacher." he placed his hands on your waist to flip your position, him on top and you, once again, on the floor. i hope you can wash out these stains from your clothes.
"i guess they didn't teach you when you should cut your losses, if you know you're no match for your opponent, there's no harm in fleeing. just pray you can get away from them in time, before they kill you." he preached, having that same wild grin from before.
he dipped his head into the crook of your neck, you closed you eyes, waiting for your impending doom as you assumed he was about to bite a huge chunk of your neck.
however, as you laid there, you could hear him, sniffing you?
feeling the odd sensation of his nose moving quickly against your neck. "what are you doing?" you asked, was he sniffing you to see if you were worth eating or not? what's going on?
"you come from the ebon tribe…" he said in between his sniff inspection, his scary intimidating seemed to fade as he got off of you. "you smell familiar, like a woman who came here before, i think her first name was olive? is that your mother?"
you were still laying on the floor, stunned at both his actions and his sudden questioning.
"yes. i'm from ebon… and yes that's my mother." you finally sat up, looking at the beast sitting, his legs crisscrossed. this could not be the same killer beast that was ready to eat you alive. "how do you know about ebon? we are not well known. more importantly how do you know my mother?" you questioned.
"her and a group of travelers came here to take care us wolfbeast. they were here for 10 sunrises, then they disappeared. i see her descendant has taken on the mantle of helping us."
shaking your head in disagreement, "no my mother wasn't around when i grew up so i had no clue she was here." you crossed your arms, "she never came home." you muttered under your breath, yet, the beast heard. feeling sorry that you're not connected with your blood.
the conversation grew stagnant, the only noise present was the crickets of insects that were hidden in the lush bushes. he looked at you, while you were avoiding his gaze.
trying your hardest to not let the idea of your mother helping others while she refused to care for you eat you from the inside. it wasn't the beast fault, he had no idea your difficult emotions towards her.
"valko." he introduced himself, cutting off your thoughts. "wolfbeast, one of the very few that are left." he held out his hand, his claws slowly reverting back to their normal state.
you took his hand in yours, and stated your name and how you were living your life as a pirate.
he was intrigued at your choice to leave your "pack" to pursue such a life. asking you several questions about how it's like, if you missed home, and how it feels to be apart of a new tribe. the conversation made you realize, this was the first time you fully articulated how you felt about your big life change.
while valko shared some history about wolfbeasts, his pack, and his motivation to keep his people alive and well cared for. he was happy to have another person seem eager to learn about himself and his blood's history. he's glad he didn't fall to his predator instincts.
it was nice.
"you convinced me, i'll join." valko said, rising from the floor.
you tilt your head in confusion, as you followed valko, "join?"
"your crew…are you not the captain?" he asked.
"i'm certainly not the captain!" you exclaimed. even though, a part of you felt really flattered that he would think that.
"okay then take me to your captain so i can tell him i'm joining." he starts to walk away.
you grabbed his arm, to stop him, "you can't just tell him, you have to ask, and sylus is extremely picky, so you need a good reason as to why you want to join!"
he suddenly grabbed your face, staring intensely into your eyes, "i want to hunt the people who've harmed my tribe and find ways to keep them protected. is that good enough?"
your words were caught in your throat, you thought his why was good. really good. but valko being in such a close proximity to you made your mind fail. a hint of red appeared on your cheeks. this guy knew nothing about personal space.
finally getting the courage to respond, you were quickly cut off by the sound of heard emi shouting your name, "we've been looking for you for hours! what hap—" she stopped speaking as she saw you and the wolf hybrid. seeing how close the two of you were.
"oh! i didn't know i interrupted something!" emi said turning around, you get out of valko's touch to confront your crewmate.
"it's not what it looks like!" you retorted.
you briefly introduced valko to emi, giving her the run down on how he almost killed you, and how that shifted into learning about him and his plan to join the crew.
"awww! you made a friend!" emi said pinching your cheeks. "and you want him to come with us~!"
"that's what you took away from everything i said?" you pinched the bridge of your nose. "do you think sylus would approve?"
emi tapped her chin in thought, "i don't know. from his aura, i think he would be a good fit, and he looks strong, so it would be idiotic to deny him." she shrugged, "unfortunately i'm not sylus, so you just have to bring him aboard and see from there."
you knew she was going to say that.
"anyway, come on valko, let's go meet everyone else." emi smiled as she began to walk, valko following behind her.
you softly say a prayer. a prayer of hope and protection. clasping your hands together and speaking life into the atmosphere.
finishing your prayer, you sprinted to valko and emi, making sure you caught up with them as the three of you left the forest.
…
"sooooo whose your new friend?" rafayel teased.
"this is valko, one of few wolf beasts that still exist." you say to the crew, valko had his arms crossed, ears perked and tail gently swaying from side to side. yet his facial expression was stoic.
"and you brought this beast on my ship because?" sylus raised an eyebrow.
"i'm joining." valko stated.
sylus chuckled, "a command, not a statement." he stared into valko's eyes, "you certainly brought an interesting pet on board."
valko frowned, feeling insulted.
sylus looked at you, your demeanor was strong as you stood beside valko. traveling his eyes back to valko, looking at him up and down, analyzing him.
"come." sylus commanded valko before walking towards his quarters.
valko, unmoved growled lowly. not listening to sylus' command. you grabbed his human ear and brought him down to your level.
"listen here. sylus, he's the leader, so you have to follow what he says. you want in? you listen!" you whispered, your tone a bit harsh. you wanted to avoid him getting himself into another brawl. letting go of his ear, you hear valko suck his teeth. "please. he just wants to talk to you, i swear if he won't do anything, unless he's provoked." you added.
valko looked at your pleading eyes, taking in what you said and understanding how you're trying to help him.
his head twitched a bit before he followed sylus. entering his quarter, slamming the door behind him.
the crew grew silent as they heard a rough door slam. there was a brief pause.
"i always wanted a dog." xavier commented, leading to emi flicking his forehead, "i was just bringing up the mood." he said rubbing his head.
"i thought i was the ship's dog?" caleb asked.
"now we'll have two dogs." zayne sighed.
"this is what always happens, they get a pet dog to replace the loveable pet fish." rafayel sighed dramatically.
emi rolled her eyes, "so when we call you a pet fish it's bad, but you can do it."
"do you think it's weird he had wolf ears and normal ears?" luke asked his twin.
kieran shook his head, "nah, it probably makes him have super good hearing! he probably can hear what we're saying now!"
"we should ask him when he's done talking to mister sylus!" luke added.
while the crew engaged in idle banter, you kept your eyes on the closed door, wondering about their conversation, praying that he can see the value in valko, holding on tight to the hope of your new friend joining the crew.
a/n: unknown ending because of the state of limbo valko is currently in <\3 i really hope we get valko in game :(
whether you like, reblog, comment, or lurk, thank you for taking the time to read my work :)
Synopsis: Jewel's mind taunts her as she recalls a memory she hasn't seen before; the voices plead to her to remember what was lost.
content: jewel's POV, dreams/nightmares, memories, child endangerment (?), serious head pains, THE VOICES!!!, lemurian speech, no beta read; if it's bad it's bad
wc: 2.1k
A beach house.
Quietly existing in a remote location.
A hazy filter overcasting her view as she walked through the rooms, unfamiliar with this environment.
Each room held a certain warmth, a warmth she knew well, but couldn’t place how. Her venture throughout the house led her to an open screen door, gently swaying with the wind from outside. As she walked closer, the door seemed to lead to a back porch with two figures standing on the bottom of the porch steps.
'Aren't you forgetting someone?'
She looked behind herself, trying to identify the voice, yet no one was there. Not understanding what the voice meant, she brushed the question off.
Taking a step outside, more of the scenery revealed itself. The sun was beaming down on two fuzzy figures, they were facing a beautiful beach with a crystal clear ocean. Jewel’s steps were cautious as she inched closer to them, her feet traveling through the soft grainy sand. As she approached the figures, their appearances remained the same. Blackened out.
'You forgot. What a shame.' The voice sounded… disappointed.
Jewel furred her eyebrows, squinting her eyes, as if that could help see the figures clearly. Maybe if she concentrated they would reveal themselves. A large pain attacked the right side of her head.
“I need you to watch Jewel.” One voice said, it sounded like a mature woman.
“For how long?” The other voice said, it sounded like an older woman who was clearly exhausted.
“A week. Just a week.”
“You said that last time, and it ended up being a whole month.”
She seemed to remember that these two figures had a conversation, but she had no idea what either were saying. She could only assume that the conversation was about her since her name was mentioned, clear as day.Why were they talking about her? Who were these people?
'Aren't you forgetting something?' That voice again.
Rolling her eyes at her self, not being able to know the context frustrated her, her curiosity dissatisfied. Begrudgingly, she moved around the ladies, in front was a baby. They wore a little bathing suit and had their hair in high ponytails.
As if they sensed her presence, the baby looked over to Jewel. Jewel widened her eyes, realizing that this baby was her!
They had the same eyes, same nose, same sprinkle of freckles scattered on her face. Then she noticed something different on her babyself. The same rhinestones she saw in a previous time were resting on her cheek.
'Do you remember yet?' The voice asked.
"No… but I know that this is a memory of mine." She answered snarly, "This would be easier if you just told me what I needed to remember." A statement that gained no response.
Baby Jewel smiled at her, before shifting her attention to the ocean in front of her. The argument between the two figures grew heated as their volume began to raise. But the baby was blissfully unaware of the two adults shouting behind her. She started crawling towards the ocean, as she crawled, Jewel could hear the baby giggling with excitement. The infant pauses, looking back at Jewel, she pats the ground playfully before beginning to crawl again.
Jewel took this as her sign to follow… herself, as the little baby crawled across the hot sand.
Reaching the shore line, baby Jewel used her hand to splash the ocean water. Hitting it in a rhythmic pace, babbling whatever her mind thought she was saying. She eventually calmed down, sitting in the sand watching the waves gently crash into her tiny chubby legs.
Jewel stood next to the baby, the waves crashing into her feet. "And what did that do." She said looking down to younger herself. All the baby did was clap in response.
'Aren't you forgetting someone?' God, she wish her inner voice could stop talking.
After a while, a sea turtle slowly crawled out of the water and stood in front of the baby. “What the…” Jewel raised an eyebrow. She watched as her babyself cheered before crawling on the turtle’s back, placing itself on the top of its shell. The baby patted the turtle and it began to swim into the ocean.
Jewel felt her mouth become agape as she watched the baby casually ride a sea turtle in the water. They weren’t too far, the turtle was slightly away from the shore line, but that doesn't change the fact on how insane this sight was. Meanwhile, baby Jewel was having the time of her life, her hands constantly in the air as they gently moved around.
As she continued to watch she felt chill run through her mind, while a small flutter became apparent in her stomach, almost like she feeling the joy the baby was experiencing.
"I'm playing with a sea turtle, as an infant and no one here is supervising me." Jewel said in disbelief.
It reminded her of her fantasy books, how in some children were able to talk and befriend animals. Jewel picked at her fingers, her eyebrows turned downward. "Am I mixing things up again?" She questioned herself.
She couldn't be. This moment feels too personal to imagine.
Even if it is her memory, how is this possible? And how could she forget?
'How could you forget?' It said in a taunting manner, the pain in the right side of her head flared up again.
Jewel winced in paid, her head felt an intense pressure, as if someone kept squeezing and releasing her brain, treating it like a stress ball. Her pain seemed to slowly fade as she felt a gentle and repeated tug on her pant leg. Looking down, she saw baby Jewel, smiling up at her. Successfully getting her older self's attention she threw her hands up, and reached out to Jewel, signaling her to pick her up. Pushing past her pain, she got her bearings together so she could scoop up her younger self. Jewel placed the baby on her hip.
Looking out into the ocean, she sees the turtle. All it did was watch from the ocean.
'You're forgetting someone.' Jewel ignored the voice.
The turtle stared at Jewel, and she stared back. A feeling of awkwardness crawled up her throat, "This seems to something you two do often, well something we did often since this is me… and my memory." Jewel spoke to the turtle, and as the reptile stared back at her, she let out a sigh.
Her airy sigh brought her to a silence, the ocean waves filled in the absence of noise.
"There was no point in talking to the turtle. The turtle cannot understand you." Her voice deadpanned.
Baby Jewel began to babble, tapping her arm lightly, then pointing at the turtle. Pointing as if it was urgent.
"Do you want to go back to the turtle?" She asked. Baby Jewel shook her head, and continued to "speak." She could only look at her younger self in confusion. Baby Jewel whined, she seemed agitated.
"The turtle? Is it something about the turtle?"
'You forgot.' That damn voice. How can she turn her own thoughts off?
She watched as little Jewel hiccup, which eventually turned into tears. Wailing loudly, her ears began to ring. Jewel tried her best to cover her ear that was closest to her younger self, but it was useless. Switching gears, she put Baby Jewel over her shoulder, lightly bouncing her while simultaneously patting her back. Letting the baby face the ocean, in hopes all these tactics would help her calm down. It didn't.
'Little gem, no need to be upset, she'll remember me on her own time.' A soft voice said, it was a different voice, and she had no idea where it came from. It seemed to comfort the baby, as her wailing stopped.
"Who said that?" Jewel looked around the empty beach. Once she turned back around, the turtle was gone, and she felt a tiny baby missing from her hip. Jewel patted herself, looking down at her hands, the moment she blinked, her world shifted dramatically.
Looking up, the sunny sky, now gray, and the clear waters are now gray and murky. Her feet no longer felt the sandy beach, but smooth and hard surface. Jewel stood alone, on a rock, in the middle of the ocean. A series of water drops falling from the sky harshly, clashing with the rough waves that are colliding with the rock.
There was a loud boom of thunder which spiked her heart rate, followed by lightning she could see in the distance. Jewel, with hands still out, attempting to balance herself. Her emotions feel heightened. She knew she was no longer in a memory, but in a manifestation of all of her troubled thoughts and feelings. The thoughts that only confront her as she's in her REM sleep.
'You're terrible Jewel. You still can't remember.' The voice spoke, as a gust of wind pushed her. 'After all these years, you still can't accept how selfish your actions are.'
Another gust of wind hit Jewel, making her stumble onto the rock's surface, gently sliding towards the edge. She caught herself before going over, scooting towards the center. "Stop it!" She yelled to the sea, "I don't know what you're talking about!"
'Oh yes you do, you can't pretend now. You tried to erase your memory on purpose, luckily we saved what was left.' It sounded like it was talking directly in her ear this time.
Jewel covered her ears, "I just wanted the pain to stop, I just wanted to forget the pain!" She felt herself getting worked up, "Why is this happening now?" Her voice wavering, she felt pathetic. She was getting bullied by her own mind, the same feeling she had all those years ago. The same feeling that led to her using her evol on herself.
'Because it's time that you embrace what you've lost. You're the key Jewel.' The voice seemed to mesh into a conglomerate of different voices. Jewel felt a steady thump in her head as the different voices grew louder. Shouting expletives, words of encouragement, and some seemed to chant a prayer.
Key words that she could pick out were, sea, stones, resonance, and bonds.
'The sea is a beautiful place… if you're ever lost, remember the sea will accept you.'
A clear voice, that silenced all the other voices.
She knew the sea was a special place, however, she thought of it as a happy place, nothing deeper. Was there more to the woman's statement?
Jewel crawled to the edge of the rock to look at herself in the reflection of the water. Her expression was weary, and to her surprise she saw a collection of beautiful pink rhinestones on her face. "I keep seeing these stones, when I am at the sea, I see these stones." Jewel felt herself begin to tear up. "I don't understand the correlation." She was disgruntled, falling back on her bottom, her hands went to her hair, gripping her head, hovering over her temple.
"Please… whatever memories are left… please let me retrieve it. I want to understand." Her voice barely above a whisper, before she could press down on her head, a tingling sensation was felt on her cheeks. From her peripheral she could see a faint glow coming from her face.
"A child of the forgotten sea has gone astray, your mind, filled with vast moments in time, have been lost. A figure of your past has found you in this new current, they have reopened a trove of lost memories." Another new voice, yet this time, it was one filled with love.
Jewel felt a warm sensation envelop her, she felt her eyes closed as she leaned into the entity, her mind and body began to relax.
'When you wake, ask him more about Lemuria, as you listen, think of your dreams. Then everything will come rushing back to you.'
She nodded, understanding what she needed to do, hopefully her real self could remember her task. As she laid against the warmth, she felt a warm spot on her forehead, maybe it was a kiss, she'd never know.
'Trust Him, he will help you. He will bring you home.'
Jewel desperately wanted to speak, her words drowned in her own tongue as her mind seemed to slip, her body slowly began to feel fuzzy. A tale sign that she mind about to wake up.
The voice seemed to sing a song, letting herself be soothed by the gracious melody. Though this song was in a different language, it almost sounded like the language the two blackened figures were speaking. Before Jewel's consciousness faded, the very last thing she heard the voice say was—
"Please remember him."
a/n: that one plankton clip where he's like "ALRIGHT I GET IT!!" will be jewel by the end of all this. also yay main story update for project gem.
whether you like, comment, reblog, or lurk. thank you for taking the time to read my work :)
And that's the part that's making me lose my fucking mind.
We lost an entire section of the MAIN STORY.
The livestream literally told us Valko's release was going to reveal more about the Aethercore—one of the biggest mysteries in Love and Deepspace and something that's been central to the plot from the very beginning.
So now what?
You think they can just delete him and nothing changes?
Do people genuinely think you can rip out an entire story arc without consequences?
Everything that was supposed to be revealed through Valko now has to be rewritten, redistributed, or outright cut. The main story is going to have to be retconned. Future updates are going to have to be reworked. Characters may have to be rewritten just to fill the gap he leaves.
If you're celebrating this because you "won," I sincerely hope you understand what you've actually cheered for.
You guys fucking derailed the story.
ཐི jewel petros ཋྀ @thehiddeng3m - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
